Can't get the drum off Jeep Wrangler 97

sisco did pass the time by typing:

Yep. :)

Get under and release the emergency brake cable. Your looking for the line that runs back to a Y, at the Y you should be able to pull the cable off. That will let the pads move back and not catch on the lip inside the drum.

Well I don't know if that helped or not for later, but it's still on.

Here's what I'm staring at. The is the casing the same as the drum?

I believe I had this problem once. I put a big three armed puller on the rim and applied some force. Then after a period of tapping with a rubber hammer it broke free. In this case there was no leaking cylinder. Just a maintenance check.

Fred

sisco did pass the time by typing:

Yes, the common term is drum.

Once you have disconnected the cable that should relax the brake shoes enough to get the drum off. The cable should have slack in it.

Usually you then just have to wiggle it a bit, and maby tap from side to side.

The internal star adjuster might have to be backed off. That can be a pain if it has never been done before. You can use a couple of screwdrivers or a tool like this

This is kinda old but should give you an idea.

If the drum wiggles when you pull from one side and then the other, and the resitance feels "soft', you are hung on either the emergancy brake cable or the shoes. Not sure if the TJ has the brake adjustment hole but if it does, you stick a screw driver in and tweak the star wheel inside.

If the drum will spin but not wiggle in the least when you pull on alternate sides, your drum is frozen on the axle. In your picture, the center 3" projection is the axle, the rest is the drum. Spray the joint with PB Blaster or Kroil (Don't even bother with WD-40!) several times over a few days. Then take a BIG hammer (at least 2-1/2 pounder) and give the edge a good whack, rotate about 90 degrees, repeat a dozen times until it loosens up.

A friend had a '96 BMW that lived in the salt belt with the same trouble. We wound up soaking the hub for a couple of days, using a monstrous puller on it overnight, and giving it a few licks with a 6 pound hammer. When it finally let go it went half way across the garage.

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"sisco" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@f6g2000cwb.googlegroups.com:

There's two ways you might say the drum won't come off.

One is if you try to pull it off and it moves slightly and then hangs on something, if that's the case you'll have to release the emergency brake cable and back of the brake adjusters until it does come off.

The other way is if the drum will not budge, it's frozen on. If that's the case tapping, heat or a puller might be needed.

Ahh, I just saw that bit in the repair book going to try that now.

Thanks everyone :)

Just remember that star is usually bloody sharp.

If it looks dirty/rusty your better off putting a new one in there. No grease as it just attracts dirt.

Well I can't seem to locate the star, pulled off all three of the rubber covers and shined a light inside, either I'm missing it or something.

I'm actually starting to think it's just very rusted/fused to the hub. I think I'm going to just take it in to the shop. Blah.

Yeah I'm going to keep spraying the PB Blaster on it over the weekend and take it on monday if nothing happens.

Hahaha, that's not a bad idea, actually ;)

Hit it with a hammer to loosen it

It could be well and truely stuck but before you give up you can try this.

Take a mallet (or sledge on a block of wood) and work your way around the outer edge of the drum. Then do the same from the back side of the drum. The other thing is PB blaster, it works much better than WD-40 on loosening rusted stuff.

The reason you use a block of wood and a sledge is hitting the drum directly with a hard steel sledge can crack the drum. The block of wood spreads the load.

You can also play a torch around on the drum, that will make it swell a bit and after it cools down it will be looser. Just don't heat it cherry red, your only after making it a bit warmer/hot to the touch.

The "free brake inspection" boys can always say, "We couldn't get the drums off".

One other trick is to pull the differential cover, remove the spider gear shaft, take off the C-clips, and pull the drum and axle as a unit. It probably needs a differential fluid change anyway. ;^)

Earle

On mine the rim seemed to stick right around the lug nut areas. Try spraying lots of that PB stuff in every lug nut hole and then work your way around the rear outer edge with the hammer. You have to be patient and it will eventually come off. And mine were really stuck and it was a three cup of coffee ordeal.

Fred